It has been three years since the hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Port Moresby and the government is yet to publish the APEC Audit Report.
Community Advocacy Group ACT NOW is calling on the government to immediately publish the Auditor General’s report on the spending for the 2018 APEC Summit.
“The government has repeatedly promised that the APEC Audit report will be made public but it is now almost three-years since the Summit and we are still waiting”, says Campaign Manager, Eddie Tanago.
ACT Now PNG says the Auditor General has given his report to the Speaker of Parliament, however it has yet to be presented on the floor.
“With Parliament resuming this week, we are calling on the Speaker to immediately table the Audit report so the findings are made public.”
Mr Tanago said it is unacceptable that the public have been waiting for three years to find out how much money was spent, where it was spent and whether processes were followed.
In August 2020, Prime Minister James Marape promised the audit report would be published before the Government tabled annual budget in November that year.
“It is now 12 months later and the public is still waiting,” he said.
The government was fiercely criticized for its lavish spending on the 2018 APEC Leaders Summit, which included the purchase of 40 Maserati sports cars at a cost of over K20 million.
ACT Now said there were also many reports of money being misspent and misused.
“The tsunami of corruption that is drowning our nation can only be addressed through greater transparency and public accountability.”